And on cue, there's the fear....

Columbia, you must be right.

I'm sure if we have the top 11000 guys fly an extra 10% by selling their vacations, that DAL will allow the bottom 1000 guys to just hang around, never fly, and enjoy their free ride. Sure...

You can't, I was just being sarcastic because there is a balance between allowing those on this side of the fence to make extra money and pushing pilots on this side of the fence outside of the fence.

Didn't Delta allow you to sell your vacations before and pilots got furloughed? Wasn't that where the Greedslip stuff really started? “Dear Mr. GREEDSLIP, Does your wife know about the s—- from CVG? One more, she will,”... ?

Egggggs actly

Not necessarily a cause and effect, but it might have played a small part of it. Everything like this plays a small part. Remember the old saw about how to eat an elephant? Some people just want to hand you a bigger spoon.

As one who has spent about half of my time at DAL on reserve, and the other half with a line, our reserve system blows. Its a huge pay cut, little to no control to alleviate that dramatic loss in pay, and constant uncertainty. If a trip is in open time, let the reserve guys pick it up. Its open for a reason. And short call, don't get me started. I don't mind sitting it, because I live in base (or a semblance thereof), but I can imagine what a pain it must be for guys that commute. Finally, if a regular guy and a reserve guy fly the same trip, pay them the same. Its ludicrous that one makes more credit than the other for precisely the same duty. Where did that policy come from?

My next contract priorities: 1) scope, 2) pay, and 3) revamp the reserve system. ASAP.

I'm out....and Bin Laden is still dead!

Those are my exact priorities too! And in no small amounts.

Oh, and I also want a requirement for Satchip to write 100 times on the board: "I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and dog-gone it, people like me." :D

Hey FTB,
I'm a fan, but have to ask you to consider this more carefully. My last gig allowed selling back up to 40% of earned vacation annually. Good for the cash flow, but it was a huge gift to the company.

Extra trips were covered by pilots at straight pay instead of paying 150-200% for their version of greenies, or God fobid, actually hiring to man the airline properly.

I remember our boss saying he wanted our pilots to have the best vacation system in the industry because it was just GOOD BUSINESS.....the payoff was less sick calls, less medical expense to the corporation, and far less std/ltd.

It's not too difficult when you're a young bubba, but over the years the quick turns, irops, trw's, cat ranchers will take a cumulative toll on your body.........I saw your sarcasm detector, but this rant was just in case...........

Regards,
BG

I heard at Continental that when they bid vacation, if they elect to bid for all the weeks that they have they get a message that says something like "Warning! You have elected to bid all of your vacation weeks!" And this was while they had pilots on furlough. That's so insulting I laughed out of disbelief when I heard it.